Inklusiiv

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work is organizational change. This doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen on its own. There has been justified criticism of DEI efforts being fragmented, consisting of ad-hoc or one-off initiatives that fail to create any impact. With this understanding, organizations that want to become better workplaces for everyone must incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into their strategy and practices, and resource the work accordingly. In our latest blog post, we discuss how to build an effective DEI strategy. You can read it here: https://lnkd.in/d_B53-SW

Our expert Aparna Shakkarwar (she/her) just shared a behind-the-scenes look into the pedagogical theory and development of our e-learning course "Basics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion." 👀 Check it out! 👇

Inklusiiv is proud to be Neomore’s partner in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Our experts Maija Koponen and Laura Matero (she/her) facilitated a training session for their leadership team on embedding inclusion across every stage of the employee lifecycle: recruiting, onboarding, performance, engagement, and off-boarding. Neomore also invests in maintaining awareness across the organization with our e-learning course for all employees on “Basics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”. This ensures learning is accessible and ongoing. Thank you, Neomore, for your continued trust and collaboration!

Good news! You can now preview our e-learning course “Basics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” for free. We work with people from different backgrounds every day. Diversity brings fresh ideas and better results, but only when teams have the inclusive culture and practices in place that allow everyone to thrive. That’s why we created our e-learning course - to help participants understand: • What diversity, equity and inclusion mean for workplaces • Why they are important in organizations • What practical actions we can all take to ensure our diverse teams work better together We believe learning should be engaging, practical, and accessible. Our courses use interactive tools and are designed to fit into busy workdays - available anytime, anywhere. Now, you can preview the first module and test your knowledge: https://lnkd.in/dvFXQard

Multicultural environments challenge us to rethink what we consider "normal" in the classroom, at work, and in society. At Oulu University of Applied Sciences, I spoke about how inclusion may look different as an environment changes and becomes more diverse. One of the key themes was how norms shape our everyday interactions and behaviors—what feels “standard” in one cultural context may be unfamiliar, or even exclusionary, in another. Inclusion is not about removing differences but about creating spaces where different ways of thinking, working, and learning are valued. Thank you to Oamk for this afternoon of learning and sharing stories, panelists Heidi Fagerholm, Sonali wickramasinghe, and Mitra Dehghani, our moderator Anne Sorvari, and the audience members who contributed their insights. It was inspiring to be able to share my perspective both as a DEI expert and as a past international student in Finland.

Our partnership with Oulu University of Applied Sciences continues as we support their efforts in building an inclusive learning and working environment. Last week, our consultant Aparna Shakkarwar (she/her) delivered a keynote on working in a multicultural environment, followed by a panel discussion on effectively supporting international students. In her keynote, Aparna explored: • How norms shape our everyday interactions and behaviors • How cultural intelligence strengthens collaboration • How inclusion can be advanced across different areas of Oamk's campus Thank you to the team for the trust and collaboration, and Heidi Fagerholm, Anne Sorvari, Sonali wickramasinghe, and Mitra Dehghani for sharing your insights in the discussion.

Inklusiiv invites our clients to our first Inklusiiv Community Connect event of the year! 💌 How can companies ensure that inclusion doesn’t stop at recruitment? Many organizations have taken steps to make recruitment more inclusive and equitable, ensuring that the candidate pool is as diverse as possible. However, these efforts also need to continue beyond recruitment and hiring to ensure that all employees, including those from underrepresented groups, feel included and supported within the organization as well. Join us for an exclusive event, where we’ll: • Explore what inclusion looks like across different stages of the employee lifecycle • Share research-backed examples of how companies can support underrepresented employees • Hear insights from our community, including Fiskars Group, on how companies can expand their talent pools and support international students in the Finnish job market When: Thursday, 20th March, 2025 | 8.30-10.30 EET __ If you’re not our partner, but would like to participate in the event, reach out to our Community Manager Aparna Shakkarwar (she/her).

Innovestor partnered with Inklusiiv to refine their job ad and ensure it resonated with a wide audience. Through the collaboration, Innovestor gained insights on how subtle word choices and structural elements can influence how candidates perceive a job opportunity. “Inklusiiv helped us see the big picture and open our eyes to all the things to consider in job ads. What we gained from this consulting project went far beyond expectations—offering the kind of depth and expertise you'd expect from an entire training program.” - Pekka Simula, Partner, Innovestor The updated job ad successfully attracted more female candidates, highlighting the clear result of inclusive hiring practices. Innovestor’s openness to learn and implement new practices was key to the project’s success. The Innovestor team left both informed and equipped to create more inclusive job ads in future recruitment rounds. Read our case study - link in comments.

"Board members don’t need to be experts in inclusion, but they do need to know how to ask the right questions." In her recent conversation on the Future Board ry podcast, our CEO Katja Toropainen (she/her) highlighted the roles board members have in ensuring diversity and inclusion related topics are assessed on a strategic level. Katja shared her key takeaways: • Board members don’t have to become a specialist in every aspect of diversity and inclusion. Instead, they should focus on ensuring the organization has a strategic approach that aligns with its broader goals. • Societal issues - like discrimination or exclusion - don’t stop at the workplace door. Organizations are made up of people, and societal issues will inevitably affect workplace culture if they aren’t proactively addressed. • Companies, also technology companies, are made up of people, and need inclusive environments to operate effectively across markets. Diversity doesn’t exist without inclusion, and ignoring inclusion is a business risk. You can listen to the podcast here (in Finnish): https://lnkd.in/g-Jswp8p 🎧 

This year’s theme for International Women's Day is "Accelerate Action". While we’ll celebrate together on March 8th, the time to act is now. Inclusion happens every day, in every interaction, from the moment an employee enters your organization until they move on. It’s the result of consistent effort, accountability, and commitment from every level. When that happens, International Women’s Day becomes more than a single day of recognition. It’s a meaningful celebration of an ongoing journey. We’ve shared a few resources in the comments to help you get started. If you would like to plan an intentional IWD program, we’re here to help. You can book a free sparring meeting with us here: https://lnkd.in/dH_XZkDw #AccelerateAction